Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The dock creaked under Kiara’s feet as she stepped into the last burn of daylight. The water shimmered gold and pink around her, the kind of view that made everything look too calm, too beautiful to be real.

It was late. Later than she wanted to be out here, but she knew exactly where to find him. She always did.

JJ was sitting at the edge of the dock, legs dangling over the water, a half-empty beer bottle hanging from one hand. His shirt was gone, tossed somewhere behind him like he couldn’t stand the weight of it. His hair was a mess, catching the last streaks of sunset. He didn’t turn when she stepped closer.

“What are you doing out here so late, JayJ?” she asked, voice soft but pointed. He lifted the bottle to his lips, not even looking at her.

“Needed to be alone for a bit. If you don’t mind.”

Kiara crossed her arms. “You ditched John B’s call. Again.” JJ finally turned. His eyes were tired, ringed with something heavier than just sleeplessness.
“Yeah didn’t feel like playing golden boy tonight.”
“You mean you didn’t feel like facing the people who actually give a damn about you.”

He laughed. The kind of laugh that was sharp around the edges, like it hurt coming out.
“Oh, we’re doing this again?” “Yeah,” she snapped. “Because it’s the same damn thing every time. You blow everything off, disappear, and act like you don’t care when you do.”

“Well, I don’t,” he said, too fast. Too defensive. She took a step closer. “Liar.”
JJ looked at her then. Really looked. And for a second, he wasn’t smirking, wasn’t pretending he was too broken to feel.
His mouth parted slightly, like he wanted to speak but couldn’t find the right words.

Kiara felt her chest tighten. That look. She hated how well she knew it.
The ache behind his eyes.

The part of him silently begging her not to give up on him. Even when he was trying to push her away.

“You care,” she said quietly. “You just don’t know how to let anyone care back.” The bottle slipped from his hand and hit the dock with a dull thud, spilling beer that neither of them noticed.

“You should go, Kie,” he said, voice low, rough. “Before I fuck this up too.”
But she didn’t leave. She crouched in front of him instead, her fingers brushing his knee, grounding him. “JJ…” He leaned in, his forehead pressing to hers. His breath was uneven.

“You don’t know what you’re doing right now.”
“I know exactly what I’m doing.”
“I’m not good for you, Kie.” “Maybe I don’t want good,” she breathed. “Maybe I just want you.”

JJ let out a sound, half laugh, half something raw and gutted and pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. “You say that now,” he muttered. “But you don’t know what it’s like… being with someone like me.” Her hand slid up his arm, deliberate, slow. “Trust me. I know exactly what it is like. I’ve been watching you set yourself on fire for everyone you love. You think I haven’t seen it? Or felt it?”

He shook his head, jaw tight. His hands curled into fists like he didn’t know what to do with them.
“I can’t give you the soft shit you deserve.”

“Good,” she whispered, voice steady, eyes blazing.

“Because I’m not asking for soft.”Her mouth hovered just above his, so close he could feel her breath against his lips. But she didn’t move in. Not yet.

She waited.
JJ’s hand came up to her waist, hesitant at first. But when she didn’t flinch, didn’t back off, he gripped tighter, pulling her closer until her knees brushed his. He looked up at her like she was the only thing tethering him to earth.

“So you really want this huh?” he asked, voice low. “This messed-up version of me?”

Kiara slid her fingers into his hair and tugged, forcing his eyes on hers. “I want you JJ. Not the version you show the world. The real one. The one who feels too much. The one who is scared he is not enough. The one who’s standing in front of me right now.” And that did it.

He surged forward, mouth crashing into hers like he couldn’t hold it back another second. It wasn’t gentle at all. It was all heat and frustration and finally.
She kissed him back with just as much desperation. Her hands were on his shoulders, then in his hair, pulling, grounding, keeping him close like she’d waited years for this moment.

He groaned into her mouth as she straddled him, knees on either side of his hips, his hands roaming up her back, under her shirt, fingertips dragging over her bare skin like he needed to memorize every inch. His lips found her neck, biting down hard enough to make her gasp and grind against him.

“JJ…” she breathed.

“Tell me to stop,” he breathed against her skin, voice wrecked.

“Say it now, Kie, before I go too far.”

She tangled her fingers in his hair, tugged until he looked up at her. “No don’t. Don’t stop.”

Chapter Text

JJ cursed under his breath as Kiara rolled her hips against him again, the pressure maddening, sharp, electric, and so precise it made his whole body twitch. Even with layers of clothing between them, it felt like too much and not nearly enough. His hands clamped down on her waist, fingers digging into her skin like he needed her to remind him this was real. That she was here. That this was happening.

She knocked his hat off, then buried her fingers in his hair, yanking with just enough force to drag a desperate sound from deep in his throat. Her lips brushed his jaw, neck, ear... leaving a trail of heat behind.

“Fuck,” he rasped, forehead dropping to her shoulder. “You’re gonna wreck me.”

Her hand slid between their bodies, popping the button of his jeans with one practiced flick. “Then let me,” she whispered, her voice thick, dark with intent.

His gaze snapped to hers. He dragged her tank top over her head and tossed it somewhere behind her. She wasn’t wearing a bra. His breath stuttered.

“Kie…” he murmured, eyes dropping to the soft, flushed swell of her chest. He cupped one breast in his hand, thumb brushing slowly over her nipple until it pebbled, earning a sharp inhale from her.

She didn’t wait. She couldn’t wait. She shoved his jeans and boxers down just far enough, then hiked her own shorts and panties aside in one motion before lowering herself onto him. Slow, steady, intimate.
The moment he slid into her, both of them gasped, mouths falling open.

“Holy shit,” JJ groaned, head falling back, eyes squeezed shut. “You’re so.... fuck you’re so tight.”

Kiara rocked her hips, slowly at first, grinding down until he was buried deep inside of her. His hands gripped her ass, spreading her wider, urging her to move.
Take him.
Ruin him.

She braced her hands on his chest, riding him with smooth, unhurried rolls of her hips that had his stomach clenching.
Her breasts bounced with every movement, her skin dewy with sweat.

His mouth found one nipple and sucked, gently at first, then harder when she moaned and tangled her fingers in his hair again.

The dock creaked beneath them. The humid air clung to their skin. JJ couldn’t focus on anything but the slick heat around him, the way her body clenched every time she moved just right. He met her thrusts with upward rolls of his hips, grinding against her clit with each pass.

“Look at me,” she whispered, voice shaking. “I want to see you when you fall apart.”
That wrecked him.

He pulled her flush against him, one hand on the back of her neck, the other sliding between them to circle her clit. Her nails dug into his shoulders.

“Fuck JJ, don’t stop”

“I won’t,” he breathed, dragging his mouth up her throat, licking sweat from her collarbone.

“You’re so close, baby. I can feel you.”

She was trembling now, thighs quivering around his waist, movements rougher, needier.
He thrust up into her, sharp and deep, and she cried out, her orgasm crashing through her as her walls spasmed around him.
Her body convulsed, mouth falling open as she gasped his name. Not once but twice.

JJ wasn’t far behind. Feeling her come undone around him tipped him over the edge. He growled her name into her shoulder as he spilled into her, hips jerking uncontrollably, stars bursting behind his eyes.

Their bodies slumped together, skin slick and hearts racing. Her head rested on his shoulder, breath stuttering against his neck.

His hands were still on her... everywhere. He didn’t want to stop touching her. Kiara’s body was still draped over his, sticky with sweat, her breath warm against his collarbone. JJ wrapped his arms around her waist, not ready to let her go just yet.

The dock creaked softly beneath them, the air around them thick with summer heat and the echo of everything they’d just shared.

“You good?” he asked quietly, lips brushing her temple.
She hummed, nuzzling into his neck. “Better than good.”

JJ chuckled, a low, worn-out sound. “Yeah I was kinda hoping you'd say that.”

They stayed tangled up for another long moment before Kiara gently pulled back, her thighs trembling as she shifted off his lap. JJ caught her waist instinctively, steadying her as she stood. She grabbed her top and slipped it back on, then reached for her discarded shorts and panties. JJ followed suit, shimmying his jeans back up with a wince.

“Shit,” he muttered with a grin, zipping up. “I’m gonna feel that tomorrow.”

Kiara raised an eyebrow. “Is that a complaint?”

“Hell no,” he said, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Just proof it happened you know.”

''We can't tell them yet about us okay?'' She leaned in and kissed him. Soft, lazy, like there was no need to rush anymore. JJ’s hand slid down to intertwine with hers "I hate to keep this as a secret but fine whatever you want baby.'' and they stood like that for a second, forehead to forehead, the sound of the water gently lapping against the posts.

Then Kiara gave a small laugh. “Okay, come on. I need actual water and maybe... like... a dozen ice cubes down my shirt.”

JJ squeezed her hand. “Inside. Now. I’ll get you water and ice and a fan and whatever else you want. Hell I’ll even build you a shrine.”

She snorted. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m wrecked. There’s a difference.”

They walked back toward the house barefoot, still holding hands, clothes rumpled and skin still warm. The wooden steps groaned beneath them as they climbed up, the screen door squeaking when JJ held it open for her. The inside was dim and quiet, lights low.

Kiara made her way to the kitchen while JJ flicked the ceiling fan on in the living room. He came up behind her at the sink, wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder as she filled a glass with water.

She leaned back into him with a quiet sigh. “You really gonna follow me around all night now?”

“Yup any problems with that,” he said, kissing her neck again. “Clingy as hell.”

She handed him the glass. “Drink. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

He took it gratefully, still not letting go of her. “Only if you come with me.”

Kiara turned in his arms, reaching up to brush her fingers across his cheek. Her expression softened.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said.

JJ nodded, like he needed to hear it twice. Then he kissed her again. Slow this time, tender, all heat spent. Just them.

And for the first time in a long time, he felt like maybe, just maybe, he could finally exhale.

They stayed in the kitchen like that for a while. Quiet, touching, not needing to say much. When Kiara shivered a little, JJ slipped off his shirt and tugged it over her tank. Eventually, he kissed her forehead. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Kiara groaned but nodded, letting him guide her toward the bathroom. She sat on the closed toilet lid while he ran warm water and grabbed a soft towel, moving like he’d done it a hundred times. Gently, he knelt in front of her, pressing a kiss to her knee before helping her clean up.

Kiara’s eyes stayed locked on his the whole time.
“You’re sweet when you’re not being a menace,” she said quietly.

He smirked up at her. “Yeah, don’t get used to it.”

When they were both washed up. Her in his shirt now, him in sweats and nothing else, they padded back down the hall together. JJ pulled back the sheets, and they climbed into bed without a word. No space between them.

He laid on his back, and she curled into his side, one leg slung over his waist, her arm draped across his stomach like she was staking a claim. JJ let out a deep, contented breath, threading his fingers through her curls and gently scratching her scalp.

She melted. “You’re gonna put me to sleep doing that,” she mumbled.

“Good,” he whispered. “You should sleep. I wore you out. You're still shaking I ruined you.”

Kiara gave a soft laugh, barely audible. “Cocky but not wrong.''

“You okay, though? Like really?” She tilted her head up to meet his eyes. “I feel... safe,” she said simply. “And kind of sore. But, like... the good kind.”

JJ smiled. “I can get you some Advil.”

“You’re already doing enough.” She traced small circles on his chest with her fingertip. “This is enough.”

They lay there tangled, shifting every few minutes just to get closer. JJ kissed her shoulder. Her wrist. The top of her head. He didn’t need to say anything else.

“I meant what I said earlier,” he murmured into the dark.

Kiara lifted her head just a little. “Which part?”

JJ swallowed. “That you’re gonna wreck me.”

Her lips quirked. “Is that a bad thing?”

He shook his head. “No. Just means I’m all in.”

Kiara pressed her nose to his neck and whispered, “Me too.”

And this time, when JJ closed his eyes, sleep came easy.

Because she was still there.

And he knew she would be when he woke up.

Chapter Text

The morning sun poured through the half-closed blinds, casting golden stripes across Kiara’s bare back. JJ was already awake, propped on one elbow, watching the light dance along her skin like it had a right to touch her.

She was still asleep, one hand curled loosely under her cheek, the other tangled in the sheets. Her hair was a mess of curls splayed over the pillow, lips parted slightly, shoulders rising and falling with each deep breath.

JJ didn’t move. He didn’t want to. He just stared, trying to make sense of everything that had happened hours ago. The way she’d said his name, the way her body had moved with his, how she’d looked at him like he was more than just a joke or a dare.

His heart thudded, slow and heavy.
What the hell are we doing?

She shifted then, a quiet sigh slipping from her lips as she blinked awake, lashes fluttering. Her eyes found his, sleepy and soft.

They lay there a while longer, skin to skin beneath thin sheets, the morning light creeping lazily across the room. JJ traced lazy circles along her hip, and Kiara, still half-asleep, muttered something about pancakes.

“You’re staring,” she murmured, voice rough with sleep.

JJ smirked. “Can you blame me?”

Kiara rolled onto her back, stretching her arms over her head as the sheet slipped lower on her chest. “You always this clingy after sex, Maybank?”

He shrugged, eyes drifting down her body before meeting her gaze again. “Only when it’s not just sex, you know.”

The air shifted. Not heavy, exactly. But charged.

JJ cleared his throat and sat up, dragging a hand through his hair. “I mean… not that we have to talk about it. Yet. I just…”

“Jayj,” she said, cutting him off gently. “It wasn’t just sex for me either.”

He looked at her then, fully, and she smiled, small, genuine, a little shy.

Relief washed over him so fast he had to laugh. “Okay. Cool. Just checking before I go spiral alone in a corner.”

Kiara rolled her eyes and sat up, sheet still loosely draped around her. “I’d come drag you out of the corner.”

He leaned in, brushing a kiss to her shoulder. “You’d better.”

JJ reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers. “You’re gonna ruin me, Kie.”

She smirked. “I think you were already ruined, Maybank.”

“Maybe,” he said. “But you made it feel worth it.”

Kiara laughed under her breath and leaned in, kissing the corner of his mouth. “Don’t get soft on me now.”

“Too late.”

JJ hesitated, then asked quietly, “So… are we a thing now?”

Kiara traced a line along his chest. “I mean, I think it always was, Jayj. We just stopped pretending it wasn’t.”

She hummed thoughtfully. “Guess that makes us two idiots.”

“Two sexy idiots actually,” he said, kissing her temple.

They lay there a little longer, warm and tangled up in something that felt like peace. Eventually, Kiara slipped out of bed, wrapping the sheet around her as she headed to the kitchen.

“Want coffee?” she called over her shoulder.

“Only if it comes with a side of you pretending I’m not completely whipped,” JJ replied.

She snorted. “Delusional.”

He flopped back onto the bed. “You love it.”

She reappeared, coffee mug in hand, raising a brow. “Still not showering?”

He grinned lazily. “Nah. I like having you on me.”

Kiara blinked just for a beat and then smirked. “You’re a menace.”

“And proud.”

Eventually they pulled themselves together laughing, teasing, floating somewhere outside reality. Kiara tugged on one of his shirts, long enough to count as a dress, and padded barefoot into the kitchen. JJ followed, shirtless, sweatpants slung low on his hips.

As she reached for pancake mix, JJ stepped behind her, hands sliding over her hips. His chest pressed to her back, mouth brushing just below her ear.

“You sure you don’t wanna go for round two hmm?” he whispered, voice low and rough. “We’ve got time. They’re not coming until afternoon relax.”

Kiara froze, just for a second. His fingers skimmed the hem of the oversized shirt she wore. His shirt and it suddenly felt very optional.

She swallowed hard, the box of pancake mix hanging useless in her hand. “JJ…”

“You’re thinking about it,” he murmured, lips trailing down the curve of her neck. “I can feel you thinking about it hmm.”

He turned her slowly, until her back was against the counter, body caged in by his. His knee nudged between hers, widening the space.

She exhaled slowly, steadying herself on the counter. “Your definition of time is dangerous.”

“So is yours,” he said, one hand slipping beneath the fabric to rest on her bare thigh.

“You’re insatiable.”

He chuckled, teeth grazing her shoulder. “Not my fault you look like this in my shirt.”

Kiara turned slightly, breath hitching. She kissed him hard, needy, like she’d combust if she didn’t.

“Bedroom,” she whispered.

“Too far,” JJ growled, already backing her toward the kitchen counter.

“We’re gonna get caught,” she gasped, tugging at the waistband of his sweatpants.

“Not if we’re fast,” he breathed, already losing his mind over the way she looked. Flushed, desperate, his.

She bit his shoulder. “We need to stop.”

A beat of silence. Their breaths ragged. Hearts pounding.

Then the front screen door slammed open. “Yo! Anyone alive in here?” John B’s voice rang out through the house.

Kiara froze mid-motion, eyes wide in horror. JJ’s entire body tensed.

“Oh, shit,” they both whispered.

Kiara jumped off the counter, yanking down the shirt. “I thought you said they weren’t coming ‘til this afternoon!” she hissed.

“I did! I told them noon!” JJ hissed back, scanning the room for anything incriminating her bra, his shirt, their dignity.

She grabbed the pancake mix like a lifeline. “Stall them!”

JJ ran to the hallway, pulling on the first shirt he saw. Pope’s. Of course.

Pope walked in right at that moment.

“Is that… wait, dude, that’s my…” He paused, squinting. “Why do you look like you ran a marathon?”

Kiara cut in fast. “We were just… cleaning. Reorganizing. Very active morning.”

JJ coughed. “Yeah. Very sweaty. Super productive.”

Sarah stepped into the kitchen, raising a perfectly suspicious eyebrow. “Uh huh.”

John B flopped onto the couch. “Man, it smells like sunscreen and… I dunno. Summer sex.”

Kiara’s eyes bugged. “Excuse me?”

“I said ‘summer sweat,’” John B lied poorly, shooting a glance at JJ, who was frozen like even breathing might give something away.

There was a pause, heavy and ridiculous, as all four Pogues stared at Kiara and JJ.

Kiara smiled. “Who wants pancakes?”

“Me,” Sarah said slowly.

Cleo strolled in last, eyes sweeping the room like she could smell the tension. “Whatever y’all were doing before we got here… Febreze ain’t gonna cut it.”

JJ nudged Kiara toward the stove, muttering under his breath, “We should’ve just stayed in bed.”

“You should’ve locked the door,” she snapped back.

Everyone started moving again, though the tension lingered in the air like steam. JJ passed plates around, trying to act normal, but he could feel it. All of them watching. Like they were missing something just out of reach. Like they could smell it. Sense it. But they couldn’t quite place it.

Yet.

Chapter Text

The sun was brutal, the kind that baked your skin and made your brain feel slow in the best way. Waves crashed in steady rhythm, the kind of white noise that made everything feel lighter, easier.

JJ lay back on the sand, hands behind his head, sunglasses on, pretending to nap but his mind was not at rest.

Because Kiara was in the water. In that bikini. His favorite bikini. She did this on purpose. And he was trying really, really hard not to stare. It wasn’t working tho.

She was waist-deep, laughing with Sarah, Cleo and Pope, her curly hair slicked back, skin gleaming with seawater and sunlight. JJ caught himself watching the curve of her back as she dove under, the way she flicked water from her fingers, how she moved like she owned the damn ocean.

“You’re gonna burn a hole through her,” John B’s voice cut in.

JJ flinched, almost sat up, but didn’t. “What?”
John B plopped down next to him, holding a half-empty beer, sand stuck to his legs.

“Dude. You’ve been eye-locked on her for like ten minutes.”

JJ tried to play it off, adjusting his sunglasses. “I’m not looking at her.”

“You’re literally drooling.”

JJ shoved him. “Shut up.”

John B just grinned. “So, you two gonna keep pretending this isn’t a thing? Or should I go ahead and start working on my best man speech?”

JJ groaned. “Jesus, John B.”

“Hey, I’m supportive,” John B said, raising his beer like a toast. “Also, she’s gonna kill you when she realizes you’re staring at her like she’s the last drop of water in a desert.”

JJ sat up, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “I’m trying to keep it low-key, keep it between us okay? It’s not like we planned this.”

John B squinted at him. “You fell in love with your best friend. Its okay ill give you some more time to process it.”

JJ paused. That word. Love. Hit harder than expected.

“I didn’t say…”
“You didn’t have to,” John B said, nudging him. “I see how you look at her.”

JJ was quiet for a second, eyes back on the water. Kiara caught his gaze and smiled, bright and real, and JJ felt his whole chest get tight.

“Yeah,” he muttered. “It’s a problem.”

John B laughed. “Nah, man. It’s the good kind.”

JJ didn’t answer. Just kept watching Kiara, knowing she was everything dangerous and beautiful wrapped into one. And knowing he’d let her ruin him a thousand times over if she asked.

Kiara started walking up the beach toward them, water still dripping from her body, her bikini leaving exactly nothing to JJ’s imagination. He looked away too fast, too obvious, and John B barely stifled a laugh.

“Act natural,” John B muttered like a threat, standing up and brushing off his hands. “I’m gonna grab another drink. Try not to combust.”

“Thanks for the support,” JJ deadpanned. John B winked and walked off.

Kiara flopped onto the sand beside JJ, flicking droplets of water at him. “You look like you’re dying.”

JJ smirked, pushing his sunglasses up. “Sun’s brutal.” Kiara leaned closer, eyes gleaming. “Or maybe it’s something else.”

JJ’s throat went dry. “Like what?” She smiled, slow and dangerous. “Its me.”

His heart stuttered. “No you are absolutely wrong.”
“Oh, it’s very true,” she said, voice low. “I saw you, Maybank.”

JJ swallowed hard, trying to stay cool. “Well I can’t resist myself.”

But he wasn’t thinking about himself. He was thinking about her. About the way that bikini hugged her hips, how the straps clung to her shoulders like they didn’t deserve to be there.

And he thought about tearing it off.

No patience, no careful hands. Just heat and hunger and months of wanting her like it physically hurt. That stupid little tie on her hip? He could undo it with his teeth if she let him.

Maybe she would.
Maybe she’d lean back, cocky and fearless like always, and tell him to prove it.
His jaw flexed.

God, he wanted her.

Kiara’s eyes flicked down, then back up, mischief in every line of her face. “You’re bad at being subtle.”
“You’re bad for wearing that bikini,” he shot back, voice rougher than he meant.

She arched a brow. “You gonna do something about it?”

JJ leaned closer, their faces inches apart. “Not here.”
Kiara’s smirk widened. She reached over, brushed her fingers lightly down his chest. “Then stop staring like you’re starving.“

He caught her hand, held it just a beat too long. “You like when I stare.”

Her gaze softened, just for a second. “Yeah. I do.”
Silence stretched between them, the air thick and electric. JJ exhaled slowly. “You’re gonna drive me insane.”

JJ glanced toward the water where the others were laughing, splashing around, totally distracted.
Kiara stood beside him, towel slung low on her hips, pretending to sip from her water bottle. She leaned in just enough for her lips to brush his ear.

“They’re distracted.”

JJ’s heart thudded. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Meet me at the Twinkie,” she whispered, then slipped away, barefoot in the sand, not looking back.

JJ waited five seconds, then ten, then stood up, stretching like he had absolutely nothing to hide. If this went bad, he was blaming the bikini. “Hey, I’m gonna go grab… uh… sunscreen from the twinkie.”

John B waved him off without looking. “Cool. Bring me one too.”

“Sure,” JJ muttered, already walking.

Kiara was waiting, eyes sparkling with mischief as she pulled open the side door.

“You are terrible at sneaking,” she whispered.
“You love it,” JJ said, following her inside and sliding the door shut behind them.

And just like that, he was hers all over again.

The second the door clicked shut, her mouth was on his. She was on him. No hesitation. No space between them. Just heat and urgency and the low sound he made when her hands slid up under his shirt.

She backed him up until his back hit the inside wall, her hands skimming beneath the hem of his damp shirt like she had every right to be there. JJ didn’t stop her. Couldn’t. His hands found her waist, thumbs brushing bare skin as their mouths met in a kiss that knocked the breath out of him.

And all he could think was finally. Finally, her lips was on his, finally she wasn’t twenty feet away in the ocean with him pretending not to want her.

She tasted like saltwater and something sweet, maybe the lip balm she always swore she didn’t wear. Her nails dragging lightly up his abs. A low moan escaped JJ’s throat, catching her waist, pulling her in like she belonged there.

“You gonna tell me what that look was about back there?” he breathed between kisses, lips brushing against hers, warm and teasing.

Kiara smirked, eyes half-lidded. “You were practically panting.”

“Still am,” JJ said, voice rough, fingers curling against the small of her back. “And you knew exactly what you were doing.”

“That’s not my fault.” She leaned in, lips at his ear. “You’re the one with no self-control.”

He groaned quietly, letting his forehead rest against hers. “You don’t get it, Kie. I’ve been thinking about this all damn day. The water, the way you walk, that bikini… I’m two seconds from losing my mind.”

“Then lose it,” she whispered.

That flipped a switch.

JJ spun her gently but firmly until her back hit the opposite wall of the van. He leaned in, hands planted on either side of her, caging her in. “You want me to talk you through this?” he asked, voice lower now. “Is that what you want?”

Kiara’s breath hitched.

“You want me to tell you how long I’ve been thinking about getting you alone?” His fingers skimmed up her ribs, slow, deliberate. “How I’ve been going crazy watching you in that bikini, knowing I can’t touch you like I want to?”

“JJ…”

“How I’ve imagined undoing that tie at your hip,” he murmured, lips ghosting across her jaw. “Teeth or fingers, doesn’t matter. You’d let me. Wouldn’t you?”

She nodded, barely. He kissed the corner of her mouth, then lower. “Use your words, Kie.”

“Yes,” she whispered, a little breathless now. “Yes, I’d let you.”

He smiled against her skin. “That’s my girl.”

There was heat building fast between them that reckless, aching kind but it wasn’t just physical. It never was. It was the way she looked at him like he wasn’t broken, the way her hands shook just a little when they slid under his shirt. The way she kissed him like she knew exactly what he needed and didn’t care how messy it got.

“You drive me insane,” he murmured, hands tightening on her hips. “You know that?”

“Good,” she said, pulling him closer.

He kissed her like he meant it —slow, deep, nothing rushed now. Just two people who knew they shouldn’t, couldn’t, but were doing it anyway.

She tilted her head back, and he pressed his mouth to her throat, working a trail of kisses down her neck.

Then

“Yo! JJ?”

JJ froze like someone had poured ice water down his spine. Kiara tensed beneath his hands.

Pope’s voice was just outside the van.

Knock knock knock.

“Bro, John B said you were getting sunscreen? Toss it out, we’re frying out here!”

Chapter Text

JJ’s forehead dropped to Kiara’s shoulder, muffling a curse.

Her quiet laugh shook against him. “Guess the universe hates you,” she whispered, still breathless.

“Pretty sure it hates us, remember its us against the universe more likely” JJ muttered, eyes darting toward the side door.

Pope knocked again, louder this time.

Kiara grabbed JJ’s shirt from where it had bunched up around his ribs and tugged it down. “If you don’t answer him, he’s gonna open the door.”

JJ groaned, already stepping back, trying to rearrange his face into something that didn’t scream I’ve been making out with Kiara in the Twinkie. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming!” he called, voice cracking slightly.

Kiara bit her lip to hide her smirk, smoothing her hair. “You look suspicious as hell,” she said under her breath.

“I look fine,” JJ insisted, even though his shirt was crooked and his hair was a mess.

Kiara tilted her head, eyes lingering on him a beat too long. “You look like you just committed a felony.”

He shot her a look before yanking open the door. Pope stood there, squinting against the sun, clearly impatient.

“Dude, what took you so long? It’s literally sunscreen, not a treasure map.”

JJ shrugged, trying to look bored. “Had to dig for it. Stuff was buried.”

Pope frowned, peering past him into the van. “Why’s it so hot in here?”

“Sun,” JJ said flatly, tossing him the bottle. “Basic science.”

Pope caught it, still looking suspicious but too distracted by the beach to push. “Thanks. Hurry up before John B steals my spot.”

“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” JJ said.

Pope jogged back toward the water, leaving JJ in the doorway. He turned to find Kiara leaning back against the wall, one brow raised, arms crossed, still smirking like she knew exactly what he was thinking.

“You’re terrible at hiding things,” she said.

He stepped closer, voice low. “So are you.”

Her smirk softened into something warmer. “Later?”

JJ’s chest tightened. “Later,” he promised.

She brushed past him, sunlight catching on the water still clinging to her skin, and for a second, JJ just stood there watching her walk back toward the others.

When he finally followed, the breeze off the ocean hit him, and so did the realization. This wasn’t just about the bikini, or the heat, or the rush of almost getting caught.

It was about her.

Always her.

The way she looked at him like she knew all his edges and didn’t flinch. The way she could light him up and burn him down in the same breath. The fact that, no matter how hard he tried, she was the part of him he couldn’t lose.

And JJ Maybank was in more trouble than he’d ever been in his life.

He tried to play it cool the rest of the afternoon. Sat in the sand with Pope and John B, pretended to argue about which surfing spots had the best waves, cracked a joke when Sarah tossed him a water bottle. But every time Kiara laughed across the fire pit they’d built, or stretched out on her towel like she didn’t have a clue what she’d just done to him in that twinkie, his focus drifted.

At one point, Sarah caught him looking and smirked, like she knew. Sarah always knew. JJ tossed a handful of sand at her feet, but it only made her laugh harder.

They all stayed until the sky began melting into shades of pink and orange, the tide pulling the water farther back from the shoreline. The air was cooling fast, and the sound of the waves had that lazy rhythm.

Kiara’s phone buzzed on her towel. Once. Twice. Three times. She finally reached for it, glanced at the screen, and sighed like she’d just been reminded of something she’d tried to forget.

“It’s my mom,” she said, shoving the phone into her pocket before it could ring again.

JJ glanced over from where he was tossing a frisbee between himself and Pope. “That bad?”

“She doesn’t just call me,” Kiara said, standing to shake sand from her legs. “She summons me.”

John B made a mock-horrified face. “Run while you can.”

Kiara rolled her eyes but was already pulling on her shorts. “She’s probably planning another ‘family values’ dinner or something. God forbid I’m not home in time to be lectured about responsibility.”

JJ tossed the frisbee back to Pope and stood, brushing sand off his hands. “Want me to drive you?”

She sighed, but there was amusement in her eyes. “You’d just make it ten times messier and still act like you did me a favor.”

He pressed a hand to his chest in mock offense. “Messier? Kie, come on. I don’t do messy. I do… memorable.”

The group was still packing up towels and tossing empty cans into a trash bag, so no one noticed when JJ followed Kiara up the beach toward where her bike was chained near the road. The setting sun hit her hair in gold streaks, and JJ almost tripped over his own feet watching her.

At the bike rack, she swung a leg over and paused, her hands resting lightly on the handlebars. “Hey.”

JJ stepped closer. “Yeah?”

Her voice softened in that way that got him every time. “About earlier…”

His pulse kicked. “Yeah?”

Her mouth tilted into that dangerous half-smile. “Later.”

He smirked, but his chest felt tight. “Later,” he promised.

And then she was gone, pedaling down the street, sunlight catching in her hair until she disappeared around the bend.

JJ stood there a while, hands shoved in his pockets, the word echoing in his head.

Later.

That night, Kiara walked through her front door to find her mom already in the kitchen, arms crossed, the smell of takeout filling the air.

“You didn’t answer my calls,” her mom said flatly.

Kiara dropped her beach bag by the stairs. “I was in the water.”

“You’re always ‘in the water,’” her mom said, setting a plastic container down a little too hard. “Do you know how it looks when you’re never home? When you spend every waking moment with those boys?”

Kiara clenched her jaw. “Those boys are my friends mom. And I was with Sarah and Cleo too.”

Her mom gave her a look. The one that said this wasn’t about the words, it was about everything else.

Kiara sat through the lecture, barely hearing the words. Her mind was still at the beach. Still in the Twinkie. Still with JJ’s hands on her waist and his voice low in her ear.

By the time her mom left to answer the phone in the other room, Kiara was already pulling out her phone.

Jayj <3

Later still stands.

She didn’t even have to wait ten seconds before the reply came back.

Jayj <3

You have no idea what you just started.

And for the first time all evening, she smiled.

Kiara tossed her phone onto the pillow beside her and rolled onto her back, the faintest smile tugging at her lips. Her room was dim except for the soft glow of the lamp on her desk.

She was still replaying the beach—JJ’s shirt half-untucked, his lips, his hands, his fingers, his grin when he’d promised later. And then a quiet tap hit the glass.

Her head snapped toward the window. Another tap. Then a low, muffled, “Kie it’s me. Open up.”

She shoved back the covers and padded over, pulling the curtain aside. Sure enough, JJ was balanced on the ledge like it was the most natural thing in the world, sun-bleached hair messy, smirk firmly in place.

“JJ,” she hissed, sliding the window open just enough. “Are you insane? My parents are downstairs.”

“Yeah, well, later felt too far away,” he whispered back, already ducking inside and kissing her lips.